


Comfort of a Sort

by eerian_sadow



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Gen, Mentions of severe injuries, but nothing graphic, reward fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 04:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16946697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: When Sunstreaker is severely injured in battle, Sideswipe is willing to do anything to make sure his brother knows that everything will be all right.





	Comfort of a Sort

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fuzipenguin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzipenguin/gifts).



“I'm sorry, Sideswipe. He's too delicate right now. I can't let you into the isolation room.” Ratchet put a comforting hand on the red mech's shoulder. “Go get some recharge and come back in the morning. He'll be more stable then.”

“He's not delicate,” Sideswipe replied. “And he needs me.”

“Not as much as he needs airborne contaminants to stay out of his cooling system.” Ratchet moved around the red twin, just enough to make Sideswipe look at him instead of his brother. “One stray particle could send him back into system failure, and I don't know if I could work quickly enough to save him before his processor melted. Let your brother heal, Sideswipe. You go get some rest.”

Sideswipe's optics narrowed. “Is that an order, Ratchet?”

“If it needs to be, yes.”

“Fine.” The red mech huffed defeatedly and looked back at Sunstreaker's too-still form on the berth in the air locked isolation room. “But you better wake me up if _anything_ changes.”

“I will. I promise.”

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

Sideswipe slipped back into the medbay three hours later, feeling worse after his nap than he had before, and made his way as quietly as possible to the window that looked into his twin's isolation room. Sunny didn't look any better, though his hand had moved from the berth to the weld on his abdomen. 

That told him that Sunstreaker had been awake long enough to realize he had been hurt, and Sideswipe had missed it while he was fighting anxiety and nightmares. 

“Sideswipe?” First Aid interrupted his thoughts before he could get really angry. “Are you all right? Do you need anything?”

“He woke up and I wasn’t there,” the red mech replied with a growl of his engine. “I’m always there when he wakes up.”

“He wasn’t really awake,” the medic told him. “Just online enough to try and get comfortable before he fell back into recharge. I was with him when it happened.”

“You were?” Knowing that his brother hadn’t been _alone_ when he woke up was a small relief. “Did he ask for me?”

There was a pause, and even with his mask Sideswipe could tell that the younger mech was considering telling him a comforting lie. First Aid had a lot of tells. “He did,” the Protectobot admitted after a moment. “And when I said you were sleeping, he smiled and mumbled something about Ratchet before he fell back asleep.”

“...Thank you.” He still hated that he hadn’t been there for his brother, but he was glad that First Aid hadn’t tried to tell him that Sunny hadn’t asked about him. “I need to see him.”

“Sideswipe, you know you can’t go in there.”

“Aid, please! You know you would feel the same way if it was one of your brothers!”

The medic sighed and Sideswipe knew he had won. “Ratchet will reformat us both into something useless if he catches you.”

“Thank you. I mean that.” 

“Follow me.” First Aid led him to the door of airlock that connected the isolation room to the rest of the medbay. “You have to go through full decontamination protocols and then you have to put on one of the hazard suits. This is not negotiable. I won’t allow you to go in and risk your brother’s life without it.”

Sideswipe nodded. He needed to be in the room with his brother, especially if Sunstreaker woke up again, but he wasn’t willing to risk his twin’s life either. Sunny was _probably_ stronger than some random dust particle, but Motormaster had hurt him badly enough that Sideswipe wasn’t going to risk it.

Even Ratchet had looked afraid of losing Sunstreaker this time.

“Once you’re in the suit,” Aid continued, “You will have half an hour before your own cooling system will be overcome by the lack of air exchange outside the suit. You _must_ come out at that point and cool off. I won’t allow you to risk your own health, either.”

Sideswipe nodded again. He wasn’t going to be stupid enough to hurt himself and set Sunstreaker’s recovery back by making him worry. “How do I get into the suit? I’ve never used one before.”

“Oh, I didn’t think about that.” First Aid glanced into the main room and back to the airlock. “I’ll just have to go through decontamination and help you, I suppose.”

“You’re the best, Aid.” Despite everything, Sideswipe felt his lips turn up in a very small smile. 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

Something was touching his hand. Whatever it was, he wanted it to go away, because First Aid had given him some of the good pain killers and he just wanted to recharge until the fuzzy feeling was out of his system. 

“G'way,” he heard himself mumble. Then he felt the slightest bit of irritation, because if he was talking, then he was _waking up_ and he just wanted to recharge. 

“Good to see you too, bro.”

That was Sideswipe's voice, but Sideswipe should have been in their room, recharging. First Aid had told him that Sideswipe was safe, and recharging in their room.

Sunstreaker online his optics and peered at the shape in front of him. “Sides?”

“Hey, sorry.” The weird shape next to the berth leaned closer and he was able to make out his twin's familiar blue optics through some kind of mask. “I didn't mean to wake you up. You can go back to recharge. I've got your back.”

“Sh'be sleepin’,” Sunstreaker heard himself slur. It was irritating, but his processor was still too fuzzy to make real words.

“Yes, you should.” Sideswipe grinned through the mask. “I know that you haven't been out long enough for everything to integrate.”

“No, you. Sh'sleep. Hurt too.”

“Please. Oh a scale of One to “Motormaster shredding your cooling system and energon processor,” I'm like a two. I'll recharge after I leave, now that I've seen you up close.”

“Kay.” Sunstreaker let his optics fall closed again. He was safe in here with Sideswipe. Between his twin and Ratchet, no one would be able to bother him before he was actually healed. 

“Recharge well, bro.” The thing that was touching his hand squeezed it gently, and he realized that it was probably his brother's hand. He tried to squeeze back, but his fingers slipped on and odd texture and he frowned. Sideswipe squeezed his hand again. “Don't worry about it, Sun. I'll explain when you get out of here.”

“Kay.” Sideswipe didn't sound worried, so Sunstreaker let his own concerns slip into the fog in his processor. “L've you.”

“Love you too, Sun.” Sideswipe leaned against his berth and started humming a soft lullaby. 

Sunstreaker took the hint and let himself drift back into recharge, content with the knowledge that Sideswipe was safe and in the room with him.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

Ratchet was standing in the small decontamination chamber between the airlock doors, arms crossed and glare firmly in place. “Well, at least you had the sense to come out on time.”

Sideswipe shrugged, though the motion lost some of his dismissive attitude with the bulk of the hazard suit restricting his movements. “Aid said he’d sedate me and drag me out if I didn’t.”

“He shouldn't have let you in there at all!” The senior medic’s arms uncrossed and spread dramatically to his sides. “What would you have done if Sunstreaker had gone into system failure again?”

“Commed you and gotten out of the way. I’m not stupid, Ratchet.” Sideswipe turned so that the latches on the hazard suit were facing the medic. “If you’re going to lecture me, will you at least unlock me? It’s getting hot in this thing.”

Ratchet sighed. Then he walked over to the red mech and started unfastening the latches. “We almost lost him this time, Sideswipe. I really don’t know if I would have been fast enough if he had gone critical again.”

“I know that, I really do.” As soon as the last of the latches were flipped, Sideswipe began wiggling to loosen the suit. “That’s why I had to be in there. I had to touch him, and talk to him, so I knew he was still there and not just a hallucination while my spark was going out or whatever. And so he knew that I was still there, too.”

“Well, now you both know. And you’re not going in there again until he’s well enough to be moved.” Ratchet pulled the helmet off of the red mech’s head and put it back on its storage peg. “You won’t have time before that anyway, with the punishment detail i’m putting you on.”

“Oh yeah?” Sideswipe pulled an arm loose as he turned to grin at the medic. “What detail is that?”

“You and First Aid, scrubbing the medbay floors. With human toothbrushes.”

“That’s better than Aid thought you’d do to us.” Sideswipe continued pulling the hazard suit off, but Ratchet didn’t miss the relief in his tone.

“Well,” the white and red mech conceded softly. “If I was in your position, I can’t say I would have done anything differently.”


End file.
